In an attempt to quell concerns, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said the FCC "has no intention of regulating political or other speech of journalists or broadcasters" in a letter addressed to House Republicans that was released on Thursday.

The letter to House Republicans did not sway Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn's concerns over the initiative.

Pai argued that the government "has no place pressuring media organizations into covering certain stories," and wrote it's a "dangerous" first step toward "newsroom policing," adding that the study is reminiscent of the now-defunct controversial Fairness Doctrine.

In his letter to House Republicans, Wheeler insisted that the FCC study would not result in the policing of newsrooms, but rather it's a "tool intended to help the Commission consider effective, pro-competitive policies that would encourage new entrants," the National Journal reported.

Wheeler added that the FCC was currently in the process of revising the study to address the concerns expressed by some in the house, and that the program would be voluntary.

"You don't have to go in, burn down the TV station, trash a newsroom to violate the First Amendment. The First Amendment can be violated by what they call a chilling effect," Coffey added. "In other words, people are simply deterred or intimidated about expressing their First Amendment rights and this seems to be exactly the kind of scenario which is going to tee up a strong challenge."